Comments | little_details: Amnesia and Handwriting

katfairy in little_details

Amnesia and Handwriting

Feb 21, 2006 00:26

The set-up is this: Guy acquires massive trauma to his entire body, including a skull fracture. He wakes up (eventually) with Hollywood-style amnesia. No real medical knowledge needed there; that part's just your usual cliche. But I'm trying to stick in some genuine massive-bodily-injury details along with the made-up crap, adding artistic ( Read more... )

~psychology & psychiatry: amnesia, ~handwriting, ~languages (misc)

Comments 8

bleedtoblue February 21 2006, 06:57:15 UTC

brain injuries affect personality as well as motor control so it's not farfetched to assume that handwriting would be changed. Also severe physical trauma would probably cause changes.

http://www.brainevaluation.com/articles/traumaticchildren.html

This article refers to children with brain injuries but it gives you an idea.

baralier February 21 2006, 06:57:28 UTC

Yes and no. I suppose it's really up to you.

I do remember seeing a documnentary on a woman who had a brain tumour removed from the speech centre of the brain. The doco was more on the fact that according to the MRI scan her brain shifted all the speech control to the other side of the brain and then back again after the surgery had been completed.

However as a result of the surgery she lost the ability to read. She was able to recognise "writing" but couldn't tell what it said. As she relearned how to read and write her handwriting did change slightly but not as much as they thought it would. Obviously there was some "muscle memory" in her handwriting.

ickaimp February 21 2006, 07:19:29 UTC

My handwriting did noticably change after receving a severe concussion. I was told that this isn't uncommon. ^^;;

jamoche February 21 2006, 07:59:16 UTC

I'm pretty sure my mom's handwriting changed after her stroke - she couldn't speak at first, and had trouble with reading and writing. I can ask her for more details tomorrow.

anonymous February 21 2006, 08:14:15 UTC

When I was a Senior in high school one of my best guy friends was hit by a drunk driver. He had severe head trauma among other injuries.

When he woke up a month later and was able to function he had to be taught how to read and write again. He DID pick it up quickly once it started coming back to him but his handwriting was very different.